Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The drug Humira (adalimumab) has been approved to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

Crohn's is an incurable chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines that causes diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and, in some case, abnormal connections (fistulas) leading from the intestine to the skin.

The FDA approval of Humira was based on the results of four clinical trials involving 1,478 Crohn's patients. The drug, made by Abbott Laboratories, reduces excessive levels of human tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, which plays a role in abnormal immune and inflammatory responses in the body.

"Humira has been shown to reduce signs and symptoms, and to induce and maintain clinical remission of Crohn's disease in patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy, and in those patients who did not benefit from treatment, or who were intolerant to previous treatment with Remicade (infliximab) therapy," Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

Humira's labeling carries the FDA's strongest "black box" warning that the drug may cause serious, potentially fatal infections, including tuberculosis and sepsis, and a type of cancer called lymphoma. Other possible side effects include upper respiratory infections, nausea, and sinusitis.

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One Billion Affected by Serious Neurological Disorders

About one billion people worldwide have life-threatening or debilitating neurological problems such as epilepsy, dementia, and brain injuries, according to a World Health Organization report released Tuesday.

The figure is much higher than previous estimates (about 450 million six years ago), said the report, which also noted that people in many parts of the world lack adequate treatment for these disorders, Agence France Presse reported.

About 6.8 million people die each year as a result of neurological disorders (that's 11.7 percent of total deaths), the WHO said.

In 2005, about 40 million people worldwide had epilepsy and 24 million had Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia. It's expected that the number of people with dementia will increase to 44 million by 2030, the WHO said.

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Study on How to Reduce Germs: Open a Window

Opening windows may offer a simple way to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other airborne infections, suggests a study by researchers at Imperial College London in the U.K.

The researchers compared 70 rooms with natural ventilation and 12 rooms with mechanical ventilation at a hospital in Lima, Peru. Even when wind speeds were at their lowest, natural ventilation was more effective than mechanical ventilation at dispersing airborne germs, CBC News reported.

"Opening windows and doors maximizes natural ventilation so that the risk of airborne contagion is much lower than with costly, maintenance-requiring mechanical ventilation systems," the study authors wrote.

"Old-fashioned clinical areas with high ceilings and large windows provide greatest protection. Natural ventilation costs little and is maintenance free," the researchers noted.

The study was published Tuesday in the online issue of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

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Simple Test Helps Determine Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer

A simple test that measures PSA density can help identify men at high risk of life-threatening prostate cancer, says a study by Oregon scientists.

PSA density compares levels of a cancer-related protein called prostate-specific antigen to the size of a man's prostate, the Associated Press reported.

This study of 511 men found that those with the highest PSA densities were much more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than men with the lowest PSA densities.

After two years, 23 percent of the men with the highest PSA densities had developed prostate cancer, compared with 4 percent of those with the lowest densities. After four years, the rates were 36 percent and 9 percent, respectively, the AP reported.

The study was recently presented at a cancer conference in Florida. If further studies confirm the validity of this test, it could help save lives and reduce the need for repeated prostate biopsies, the researchers said.

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Japan Investigates Possible Tamiflu Link to Deaths

Japanese officials have launched an investigation after the most recent suicide by a person taking the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, considered a frontline defense against a potential pandemic of bird flu or other types of influenza.

The latest case involved a 14-year-old boy who jumped to his death from a condominium tower in the northern city of Sendai on Tuesday, Agence France Presse reported.

Earlier this month, a 14-year-old girl taking Tamiflu died after she leaped off a condominium building in Aichi prefecture.

The Japanese health ministry said Tuesday that it will investigate Tamiflu, AFP reported.

"The connection (between the drug and the deaths) has not been made clear, but if that's the case then we will have to study special measures," Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa told reporters.

As of November 2006, 54 people had died after taking Tamiflu. Of those, 16 were age 16 or younger, the Japanese health ministry said.

An investigation last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded there was no evidence linking Tamiflu with the deaths in Japan, AFP reported.

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Older Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Death Risk in Elderly: Study

Older antipsychotic drugs increase the risk of death in elderly people with dementia, says a study published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The study of more than 37,000 people aged 65 and older in the province of British Columbia who took antipsychotic drugs between January 1996 and December 2004 found that those who took older, conventional drugs were 32 percent more likely to die within six months than those who took newer, atypical drugs, CBC News reported.

Among those taking the older drugs, the death rate was 14.1 percent, compared with 9.6 percent among those taking the newer drugs.

In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada warned that the newer, atypical antipsychotic drugs increased the risk of death among older patients with dementia. The warning may have led some people to believe that older, conventional antipsychotic drugs were safer.

"Together with earlier findings, the results from our study strongly suggest that Health Canada and the FDA should include conventional antipsychotic medications in their public health advisories, which currently warn only of the increased risk of death associated with the use of atypical antipsychotic medications in elderly patients with dementia," the study authors wrote.

While the reasons for the increased risk of death aren't clear, the researchers said there is evidence to suggest that the drugs may heighten the potential for heart problems and may have an effect on blood pressure and swallowing, CBC News reported.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A vaccine to protect people against the H5N1 bird flu virus is even less effective than previously believed -- protecting just 45 percent of adults who received the highest dose, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration and drug company documents released Monday.

An earlier interim analysis of data from the same 452-person study suggested the Sanofi Aventis vaccine triggered a protective immune response in 54 percent of users, the Associated Press reported.

The final findings were made public just before Tuesday's meeting of a panel of FDA experts who will review the vaccine, the first H5N1 vaccine to be submitted for FDA approval.

While the study shows that the vaccine is safe in people, the findings raise doubts about its effectiveness against the H5N1 virus. For example, seasonal flu vaccines protect 75 percent to 90 percent of vaccinated adults younger than age 65, the AP reported.

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South Pacific Is World's Most Overweight Region: WHO

The South Pacific is the world's most overweight region and the tiny republic of Nauru, where 94 percent of adults are overweight, is the fattest nation on Earth, says a World Health Organization list of the 10 most overweight countries.

Of those nations, eight are in the South Pacific. The two other countries on the list are the United States and Kuwait.

While Nauru is the worst, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, and the Cook Islands (all in the Pacific) fared only slightly better. In those states, about 90 percent of adults are overweight or obese, BBC News reported.

In the South Pacific, a lack of exercise and increased consumption of Western junk food and processed meals are key factors in the high obesity rates, the WHO said. Poverty is another factor in obesity. Cheaper food often is high in calories but low in nutrition.

There are about 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world and the WHO expects the amount to rise by 40 percent over the next decade, BBC News reported.

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Growth Hormone Linked to Diabetes

Taking growth hormone to improve athletic performance may increase a person's risk of developing diabetes, says a case study published online Monday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The case study involved a 36-year-old professional bodybuilder who used anabolic steroids for 15 years and artificial growth hormone for three years.

About a year after he starting taking growth hormone, the bodybuilder started to take insulin because his blood sugar had risen too high. But he stopped taking insulin after he suffered acute low blood sugar during a few workouts at the gym, CBC News reported.

He lost 40 kilograms (88 pounds) in 12 months and had symptoms of excessive thirst, urination, and appetite.

After being diagnosed with diabetes, the man was given intravenous fluids and gradually increasing amounts of insulin over five days. Eventually, he was no longer diabetic, the report said.

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Hormone Patches, Gels May be Safer than Pills: Study

Hormone gels and skin patches to control menopause symptoms may be less likely than pills to cause dangerous blood clots, according to a French study in the journal Circulation.

The study of nearly 900 women, ages 45 to 70, found that those who took hormone pills were more than four times as likely to develop blood clots than those who used hormone gels, patches or creams or those who did not take any hormones, the Associated Press reported.

The study received funding from hormone drug and patch makers, as well as the French government.

Many women stopped using hormone replacement pills after the release of a 2002 study that found that the use of estrogen increased women's risk of stroke and the use of estrogen-progestin increased the risk of stroke and breast cancer, the AP reported.

This new study adds to growing evidence that the method of taking hormones, and possibly the dose, may be important factors that influence those risks, Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, wrote in an accompanying editorial in the journal.

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Anxiety May Boost IBS Risk After Gut Infection

People who try to ignore or are particularly anxious about symptoms caused by bacterial gut infections are more likely than others to later develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), concludes a study by researchers at the University of Southampton in the U.K.

Up to 10 percent of people develop IBS (which includes symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain and bloating) after they suffer a gastrointestinal infection, BBC News reported.

The study included 620 people who were checked three and six months after they had a gut infection. Researchers found that 49 people had IBS at both three and six months. IBS was more likely to occur in people who reported high levels of anxiety and stress and psychosomatic symptoms related to their infection.

People were also more likely to develop IBS if they tried to carry on and ignore the symptoms of bacterial gastroenteritis, BBC News reported.

The study also found that women were more than twice as likely as men to have IBS. The findings were published in the journal Gut.

Monday, February 26, 2007

The European Union is the best prepared area in the world to meet an influenza pandemic but still needs two or three years before it can cope fully, the EU's disease control agency said on Thursday.

In a report, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) urged EU nations to integrate preparations at national, local and international levels to expand influenza research and do more to combat seasonal outbreaks.

"ECDC estimates that a further two to three years of sustained effort are needed by the EU and its member states to achieve the level of preparedness needed to respond well to a pandemic," it said.

Zsuzsanna Jakab, director of the Stockholm-based agency, told a Web broadcast news conference member nations had "gone a long way" in preparation over the past 18 months to two years.

"I already consider that at this stage the European Union is the best prepared region in the world if you compare it with other countries," she said.

The ECDC report involved 25 EU states, plus Iceland and Norway. Another update is due later this year.

Jakab said the EU must sustain this momentum for the next two to three years and take the steps set out in the report.

"If this is done, then EU countries will be in a position to respond well to a pandemic," she said.

A good response means primary care facilities and hospitals can treat influenza victims without reducing other activities, vaccines reach primary care systems within six months of an outbreak and food, power and fuel are still available at a local level.

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U.S. says will use risk-based meat inspection plan

In a move derided by meat packers and consumers, federal meat inspectors will start conducting "risk-based" inspections at 254 processing plants in April, under a plan detailed by the Agriculture Department on Thursday.

The plan calls for devoting more attention to plants where the government has higher concerns over meat safety, U.S. officials said. But the USDA's Food Safety and Inspections Service will still continue daily inspection of all processing plants, said Richard Raymond, agriculture undersecretary for food safety.

Raymond touted the changes as a way to boost protection against meat contamination. Under the new system, the level of inspections at a plant would be pegged to its safety record, including prior inspection and microbiological tests.

The consumer group Food and Water Watch said USDA's existing data is incomplete and not precise enough to know how plants are performing.

The American Meat Institute, a trade group for packers, criticized USDA for the "hasty roll-out" of the plan without testing the idea or being sure of industry and consumer support.

"USDA is forcing 250 plants that produce branded, trusted meat and poultry products into a new and controversial program with little notice or buy-in," said AMI President Patrick Boyle.

Key lawmakers also expressed concern.

"I think it is a mistake for (USDA) to move forward with risk-based inspection at this time, and I will be monitoring what happens very closely," said Rep. Rosa Delauro (news, bio, voting record), the Connecticut Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees USDA.

Carline Smith-DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said Raymond told consumer groups that, if there are problems with the initial plants, there will be no expansion of the project.

"We have to be careful they don't roll it out before it is ready," said DeWaal.

There are about 6,000 livestock slaughter and meat processing plants in the United States.

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Britain to pay women for ova to research

The British government has approved a plan to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning research and to be compensated for it  an action that scientists hope will improve the supply of eggs.

Women getting costly fertility treatments will receive a discount if they donate eggs for research, authorities said. Others will receive up to 250 pounds  about $500  for each fertilization cycle to cover costs such as travel or lost work time.

The eggs would be used to create cloned embryos, with the hope of extracting stem cells. Because stem cells have the potential to become any cell in the body, scientists believe they may ultimately help treat numerous ailments, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injuries.

The United States and some other countries already allow human egg donations for research. The U.S. has no national policy on payment, but some states limit it to reimbursing women for costs.

Human eggs for stem cell research are in short supply, and some researchers believe payment would improve that situation. They argue that patients are often paid for other medical experiments.

However, Wednesday's action by the British government worries some that it will exploit poor women, encouraging them to go through the tedious egg donor process just for money.

"It's exploitative because there will be women attracted even by the thought of getting 250 pounds from this," said Dr. Stephen Minger, director of the Stem Cell Laboratory at King's College. London. "I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of selling tissue and body parts."

But the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, which advised the government, stressed that payment would strictly cover expenses only.

"No one would be handing out money for donated eggs," said Gemma Wilkie, a spokeswoman for the authority. "We are only talking about recompense for costs incurred."

Britain has long permitted a practice known as egg-sharing, in which women get cheaper in-vitro fertilization treatments for donating eggs to other women hoping to get pregnant  but until Wednesday's decision, donated eggs could not be used for research.

Some experts argued that women should be entitled to more than $500.

"Eggs are already a highly prized commodity," said Anna Smajdor, a medical ethics researcher at London's Imperial College. "Two-hundred fifty pounds fails on all counts: it is enough to entice women from poorer countries while failing to represent the market value of eggs."

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Rejoice, cocoa nuts!

Choose the right chocolate treat, and you can have all the flavor you savor with next-to-no fat. Three tablespoons of cocoa powder (the equivalent of 1 oz. of chocolate in flavor intensity) has only 1.5 grams of fat. By comparison, a 1-oz. square of premium unsweetened chocolate has 16 grams of fat. In addition, cocoa's main fat, stearic acid, may be heart-healthy. Our bodies convert it to a monounsaturated fat. Limit any chocolate that adds "hydrogenated oils," which add cholesterol-raising fats to the mix.

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Getting to know you.

Saying "Hi" to your aerobics instructor may improve your group fitness experience. If you are joining a group exercise class for the first time, let your instructor know. Doing so will help the instructor ensure you get the most out of the class, and help protect you from injuries.

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Does variety in exercise matter?

Steve Blair of the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research says: I advise exercisers to engage in at least one aerobic activity and do some resistance exercise for musculoskeletal fitness, along with stretching to maintain joint flexibility. If there's one routine you like to do again and again in each category, that's OK. If you like to do different aerobic and musculoskeletal exercises at different times, all the better. What really counts is to find the exercise program you like enough to stick with over time. Keep it up, and you'll reap the incredible benefits that come from a fit, active way of life.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Federal forecasters predict that U.S. health-care spending will double by 2016, to $4.1 trillion per year.

That's one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

Health spending in 2006 was projected at $2.1 trillion, or 16 percent of the GDP.

"There is a relatively modest and stable projection for 2006 to 2016, with an average growth rate of 6.9 percent," John Poisal, deputy director of the National Health Statistics Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said during a Tuesday teleconference. He noted that with projected growth rates falling slightly in 2006 and 2007, "that would result in five consecutive years of slowing growth."

But the projected decelerations didn't impress outside experts.

"We haven't solved the health-care cost problem," stated Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund. "There was a lot of feeling when the 2006 numbers came out and we were growing at about 7 percent a year, that maybe it wasn't a continuing problem. But, I think even growing at 7 percent a year you see that by 2016 we are going to be spending 20 percent of the nation's economy on health care. I think it says we've got to get serious about doing something that really improves the efficiency of the health-care system and not just shifting money."

Here are other highlights from the report, prepared by CMS actuaries and Medicaid Services and appearing in today's online edition of Health Affairs:

Medicaid spending is expected to reach $313.5 billion in 2006, about the same as in 2005.

Medicaid drug spending is projected to drop 36 percent between 2005 and 2006 as low-income recipients who also are eligible for Medicare start receiving drug coverage through the new Part D program.

With the addition of Part D, total Medicare spending growth is expected to reach $417.6 billion in 2006, up from $342 billion the year before. Medicare spending growth is expected to slow to 6.5 percent in 2007, partly due to legislated cuts in payments to managed-care plans and to physicians. By 2016, Medicare spending is expected to more than double, reaching $862.7 billion.

U.S. prescription drug spending should reach $497.5 billion by 2016, more than double the expected level for 2006. Prescription drug spending will grow at an average annual rate of 8.6 percent until 2016.

The cost of hospital care is expected to climb to more than $1.2 trillion by 2016, vs. $651.8 billion expected for 2006. The growth rate for hospital spending is expected to slow, from 7.9 percent in 2005 to 6.6 percent in 2006.

In 2006, consumers are expected to spend slightly less than 1 percent more in out-of-pocket ($250.6 billion) health-care costs. The total spent will reach $440.8 billion by 2016, however. In 2005, an individual spent an average of $850.02 on health care and in 2006 they are projected to spend $846.50. In 2016, the average spent will be $1,405.73, although that number is not adjusted for inflation, officials said.

Private health insurance premiums are expected to grow 4.4 percent in 2006, down from a high of 11 percent in 2002.

Growth in total physician and clinical spending is expected to slow from 7 percent in 2005, to 6.1 percent in 2006.

Growth in nursing home spending is also expected to slow, from 6 percent in 2005 to 3.4 percent in 2006, largely as a result of slowing Medicaid and Medicare spending.

Home health spending is likely to rise 1.4 percentage points to 12.5 percent in 2006, or $53.4 billion. This would make it the fastest growing area of health care.

Many of the changes reflect cost shifting, Davis said.

"They're trying to deflect costs onto other parties," she said. "What we really need is a transformation of the health-care system that gives us value for the money we're spending. We clearly have to do something about the underlying rising health costs that affect everyone."

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Many Stroke Patients Affected by Hospital Errors

Hospital procedures need to be modified to reduce the risk of medical errors and adverse events in stroke patients, U.S researchers say.

A new study found that 12 percent of stroke patients had suffered adverse events during treatment.

Researchers analyzed data on 1,440 stroke patients admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center between July 2001 and December 2004.

Of those 1,440 patients, 173 (12 percent) suffered a total of 183 adverse events, defined as an injury to a patient during medical management. Adverse events are not necessarily the result of a medical error, which are incorrect actions or plans that may harm a patient.

Of those 183 adverse events, 86 were preventable, 37 were not preventable, and 60 were indeterminate, the study said.

"Although most patients who experienced a preventable adverse event were not seriously harmed, adverse events do lead to temporary discomfort, longer hospital stays, and, in some cases, serious injury or the potential for legal action," study author Dr. Robert G. Holloway, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.

"If these figures were applied to the nearly 1 million patients admitted to U.S. hospitals each year for stroke, 50,000 to 100,000 patients may experience an adverse event related to an error," he said.

The study is published in the Feb. 20 issue of Neurology.

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Health Tip: What Happens During Coronary Bypass Surgery?

When arteries become blocked by fat, cholesterol and other substances, blood flow to the heart is blocked.

Coronary bypass surgery sidesteps the blockage from these substances -- collectively called plaque -- and restores blood flow to lessen a person's risk of heart attack.

Here's are two possible ways to accomplish a coronary bypass, courtesy of the American Heart Association:

An artery is detached from the chest wall and the loose end attached to the coronary artery below the blockage.

A section of a long vein in the leg is removed and sewn (grafted) onto the large vessel that leaves the heart called the aorta. The other end is attached to the coronary artery below the blockage.

Either of these methods will allow blood to follow a new path, bypass the clogged portion of an artery, and restore a free flow to the heart.

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Health Tip: Signs of Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge eating occurs when a person habitually overeats.

A person with the disorder often eats quite rapidly, may not stop eating when they are full, and usually feels unable to stop.

These actions often are a response to stress, anger or being emotionally upset, the Nemours Foundation says.

The foundation offers this list of common warning signs:

Eating very quickly.

Eating until extremely full or uncomfortable.

Eating large amounts when not hungry.

Being too embarrassed to eat around other people, or eating alone.

Feeling guilty or disgusted after binge eating.

Excessive weight gain.

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Words Can Help the Healing

For years, Harvard researcher Susan Bauer-Wu has worked with people struggling with a dreaded diagnosis -- cancer.

Many turn to support groups, psychotherapy or antidepressant drugs to help them cope with the fears and challenges the illness brings.

Her team offers them a pen and paper.

Those are the only tools required for a simple, increasingly popular intervention called "expressive writing" or "journal therapy."

The research suggests that by spending 30 minutes each day for four days to write out their innermost thoughts and feelings, patients can significantly boost mental and physical health.

"Many people are so surprised at how it really works," said Bauer-Wu, director of the Cantor Center for Nursing and Patient Care Research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. "Even people who were reluctant to do it, who say, 'I'm not a good writer, I can't write well, or I don't like to.' They'll go through the process and have that 'A-ha' moment. They'll tell us -- 'Wow, I never realized this about myself, or about this disease -- it just came out onto the paper.' "

Expressive writing therapy is just that: Patients are encouraged to express whatever is on their mind, letting their hopes and fears flow out in a natural, unrestrained way. It's akin to keeping a journal, but more focused on the things that might be bothering you or triggering stress.

"We tell them, 'Don't worry about the punctuation, the words, just go with the process,' " Bauer-Wu said. "We also encourage them to build on whatever they have written before."

The result, for many patients, is a kind of catharsis -- a release and articulation of issues bottled up inside -- and also a healthy coming to terms with some of those issues.

"It's about stepping back and thinking about things in a different way, making linkages," explained Dr. Robin Fivush, a professor of psychology at Emory University, in Atlanta. She's conducted her own research on expressive writing.

"It's not just about expressing the emotion, because then you'd just ruminate on it," she said. "If you take a close look at those who benefit from it most, you see a lot of them using what we call 'cognitive processing' words -- 'I realize, I understand, now I see that.' "

Insights like these appear to help patients with cancer or other illnesses cope better, studies suggest. "I just read one review article that contained over 140 studies on this subject, and it seems very effective," Fivush said.

Bauer-Wu has conducted three studies of her own, tracking the effects of journal therapy for patients with breast and other cancers. She noted that while the classic program involves 30 minutes per day of writing for four days, cancer patients "may require more than that."

"In my work, we do a four-day intervention, but then repeat it a month later and then a month later again," she said. Patients can write using a pen and paper or computer. Surprisingly, about half of younger, computer-savvy participants in one study opted to handwrite their journal entries. "What's most important is that you find that place each day where you can most freely write," Bauer-Wu said.

"One of the things that's been found in cancer patients across different studies is what we call 'improvements in health-care utilization,' " she said. "Patients end up going to their doctor or calling nurses less frequently. They need fewer sessions with a mental health counselor. Basically, they are having fewer physical symptoms and coping better."

She added that the therapy does work better for some patients than for others. Preadolescent children, especially, will probably not benefit. "We think that they may not have the cognitive or emotional skills [at that age] to work through things on their own," Fivush said.

According to Bauer-Wu, patients who are solitary and private by nature may benefit the most.

"There's a lot of hype about support groups, but we know that some people just aren't 'talkers,' " the Boston researcher said. "To me, expressive writing is a wonderful alternative for these people. It gives them a way to express their feelings and process what's going on in their minds."

It's important to note that patients who engage in journal therapy don't write with any intended audience in mind. In most cases, according to experts, they don't even have to read back their own journal entries to benefit. "It's the act of writing that seems to be important," Fivush said.

A hormone produced during pregnancy may benefit multiple sclerosis patients, a Canadian study finds.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects about 2.5 million people worldwide. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks myelin, which insulates nerve cells and plays a critical role in the transmission of messages from cell to cell. Reductions in myelin lead to a progressive loss of sensation and movement in MS patients.

Interestingly, MS goes into remission when women get pregnant. Since prolactin is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy, the researchers sought to determine if prolactin was the reason behind MS remission during pregnancy.

"It was thought that during pregnancy, [women's] immune systems no longer destroyed the myelin," study author Samuel Weiss, of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute of the University of Calgary, said in a prepared statement. "But no previous study has tested whether pregnancy actually results in the production of new myelin, which may explain improvement of symptoms," he said.

In the study, published in the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers counted hundreds of cells in the brains and spinal cords of mice. They compared the cells in pregnant versus virgin female mice of the same age.

The team found that the pregnant mice had twice as many myelin-producing cells and continued to generate new ones during pregnancy. Even after giving birth, the once-pregnant mice had 50 percent more myelin coating their nerve cells.

The researchers also found that prolactin mimicked the effects of pregnancy, increasing both myelin production and repair in the mice.

If future research confirms the benefits of prolactin in animal models of MS, Weiss says the hormone will be ready for testing as a treatment for people with MS.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Physicians may soon be able to identify which men have a more deadly form of prostate cancer, U.S. researchers report.

More than one million prostate biopsies are performed each year, note a team from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Of these, only 25 percent test positive for cancer, but another 25 percent have false negative findings, which means the test comes back negative even though it is later found that the patient does have cancer.

New research that is expected to be presented Feb. 22 at the Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Symposium in Orlando, Fla., may help identify which men need a second prostate biopsy after an initial negative biopsy, the Oregon group said.

"Until now, we've really had no clear and consistent method to recommend further follow-up or diagnostic procedures for men who have a negative biopsy. We have derived a simple marker, so urologists can identify who is at risk for high-grade prostate cancer," researcher Dr. Mark Garzotto, director of urologic oncology at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and assistant professor of surgery (urology) in the OHSU School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

For their study, Garzotto's team studied 511 men at the veterans' center who had been referred to urology clinics for suspicion of prostate cancer. All of the men had a prior negative biopsy.

The researchers found that a high prostate specific antigen (PSA) level adjusted for prostate size was an indicator for repeat biopsy. A Gleason score of seven or above was indicative that life-threatening prostate cancer may be present and a repeat biopsy is needed.

A Gleason score grades prostate cancer tissue on a scale of 2-10, based on how it looks under the microscope. Lower Gleason scores indicate that the cancer is less likely to spread, while higher scores suggest the tumor is more likely to spread.

"What we worry about is which men may have high-grade cancer. Now, we can prescribe a second biopsy for a few months later. We know that this is a judicious use for a biopsy," Garzotto said.

Pinpointing patients who need a second biopsy will not only help identify which men may have a deadly form of prostate cancer, but it could also reduce the rate of unnecessary biopsies. This is important, since prostate biopsies are costly and can result in anxiety, pain, bleeding and infection.

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Advair Won't Lower COPD Death Risk: Study

Using Advair, an inhaled steroid combined with a long-acting bronchodilator, does not prolong the lives of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but it could improve their quality of life by making breathing easier.

That's the conclusion from a large international trial that compared four different treatments in people with the progressive, debilitating lung disease.

The study compared the use of the long-acting bronchodilator salmeterol alone, the inhaled steroid fluticasone propionate alone, salmeterol plus fluticasone in combination (sold as Advair in the United States), or a placebo.

"There were no significant differences in mortality between the component drugs and the placebo treatment," said the study's lead author, Dr. Peter M.A. Calverley, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Liverpool and University Hospital Aintree. However, he did note a 25 percent decline in the total number of exacerbations for patients taking Advair compared to placebo, "and this was also statistically significant, better than either of the component drugs [alone]."

Results of the study, which was funded by drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, are published in the Feb. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. GlaxoSmithKline sells combination salmeterol-plus-fluticasone therapy under the brand name Advair in the United States and as Seretide in the rest of the world.

COPD, a lethal combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is responsible for 2.75 million deaths worldwide, according to background information in the study. Most cases of COPD -- between 80 percent and 90 percent -- are caused by smoking, according to the American Lung Association. There are few effective treatments for COPD, and most treatments cannot reduce the rates of mortality, according to the study.

For this study, the researchers recruited people with COPD from 444 centers in 42 different countries. The study participants were between 40 and 80 years old and were current or former smokers with at least a 10-year, pack-a-day smoking history.

More than 6,100 people were randomized into one of the four treatment groups for three years. The dose of salmeterol was 50 micrograms and the fluticasone propionate was given at a dose of 500 micrograms.

When the researchers looked at all-cause death rates, they found no statistically significant difference between the four groups. The all-cause mortality rate was 12.6 percent for the combination (Advair) group, 15.2 percent in the placebo group, 13.5 percent in the salmeterol alone group and 16 percent in the fluticasone propionate group.

There was some good news for those on combination therapy, however. Use of Advair reduced the number of annual exacerbations to 0.85 compared to 1.13 in the placebo group. Additionally, lung function and overall health status were improved in the combination therapy group compared to placebo.

Calverley said he wasn't sure why the combination therapy didn't affect the mortality rate when it seemed to improve overall health. He and the other authors suggested that the high drop-out rate -- 40 percent -- in the placebo group might have affected the mortality outcomes.

The researchers also looked for specific side effects, such as a possible increase in eye disorders such as cataracts, or a decrease in bone density, both of which are known side effects of long-term steroids taken orally rather than inhaled. They found no such problems with the inhaled form of steroids. There was, however, an increased risk of pneumonia in people taking combination therapy or in people using fluticasone alone.

"This [finding] was unanticipated and did not translate into an increase in the number of people dying from pneumonia," said Calverley.

"I am surprised, and I am worried [about the pneumonia findings]," said the author of an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal, Dr. Klaus Rabe, chairman of the department of pulmonology at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

In his editorial, Rabe wrote that "caution in the use of combination therapy is urged because of the finding in [this] trial of an increased rate of pneumonia among all patients receiving treatment containing inhaled corticosteroids."

On the other hand, Dr. Bohdan Pichurko, chief of pulmonology at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich., said he was reassured that after three years of treatment, the study found no increased risk of eye or bone problems. Also, there have been some studies questioning the safety of salmeterol, but, in this population, the drug appears to be safe.

"With the exception of minor oral-comfort issues and this peculiar increase in pneumonia, this combination seems to be safe and to offer significant benefits. While the endpoint of all-cause mortality is interesting, what's immensely important to patients is that there's some improvement in airway function and improved overall health status," said Pichurko.

Rabe said that combination therapy is probably an acceptable choice for someone with severe COPD who has frequent exacerbations.

The study's authors felt that combination therapy did benefit patients. "The most important message for somebody with COPD is that combination treatment works, and that in addition to producing short-term symptom relief, it can prevent important complications and, in our view, is likely to reduce your chance of dying," said Calverley.

In another study, released online Monday and expected to be published in the April 17 print issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers tested another type of bronchodilator, tiotropium, in three different combinations -- with salmeterol, fluticasone-salmeterol, or a placebo. The study, which included 449 Canadians with COPD, found no statistically significant difference in the number of exacerbations for any of the treatments.

However, similar to Calverley's study, the Canadian team found that the addition of Advair improved lung function and quality of life and reduced the number of COPD-associated hospitalizations.

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Health Tip: Symptoms of Staph Infection

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are commonly found on the skin. But they can cause a serious infection if they enter the bloodstream through a cut or open sore, particularly among people with weaker immune systems.

Here are the most common symptoms of a staph infection, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

* A swollen, red, and sore area on the skin that may drain pus or other fluid. * A warm feeling around the infected area. * Fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. * Pain in the chest. * Fatigue. * General feeling of sickness.

If you have these symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

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Health Tip: Causes of Blindness

Blindness can be caused by a host of diseases and conditions, including diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts, vitamin A deficiency, leprosy, trachoma and river blindness (onchocerciasis).

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says these additional factors can lead to blindness:

Friday, February 23, 2007

Although there are more than 500 cases of mostly minor side effects involving a vaccine that could prevent cervical cancer in girls and women, U.S. health officials say there's no need for additional warning labels on the vaccine, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The report preceded a meeting in Atlanta Thursday, at which experts were to present side-effects data on the vaccine, Gardasil, to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many of the side-effect reports involve fainting, but fainting is a common side effect among teens who get any vaccination, experts told the wire service. "There is absolutely no reason to think that there is anything in this vaccine, as opposed to another vaccine, that's going to make people more likely to faint," CDC immunization safety official Dr. John Iskander told the AP.

Gardasil is Merck & Co.'s three-dose vaccine approved for females ages nine to 26. It protects against strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that have been shown to cause cancer of the cervix.

On Wednesday, a Virginia-based group called the National Vaccine Information Center issued a statement describing side effects of the vaccine. The statement also argued that not enough research had been done on the vaccine to prove that it was safe.

The AP said it had obtained data showing 542 reports of adverse side effects of the vaccine, ranging from fainting and injection site swelling, to fever and nausea. There also have been three reports of Guillian-Barre syndrome, a debilitating condition that has been associated with other vaccines, the wire service said.

Earlier this week, Merck said it would end a campaign to persuade states to require the vaccine for adolescent girls attending public school, the AP said.

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More Americans Treated for Meth, Narcotic Abuse

While treatment admissions are falling for abuse of cocaine and heroin, admissions are rising for Americans being treated for abuse of methamphetamine and narcotic painkillers, the U.S. government said Thursday.

People treated for prescription narcotic abuse rose 9 percent to more than 64,000 between 2004 and 2005, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said in a statement. And between 1995 and 2005, the number of admissions for drugs including codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, and similar medications soared more than 300 percent, the agency said.

Use of methamphetamine, a home-made stimulant produced from ingredients in over-the-counter cold medicines, rose 12 percent to more than 169,000 between 2004 and 2005, SAMHSA said. But that number was relatively small compared with other illicit drugs, the agency added.

In 2005, there were 256,491 substance abuse treatment admissions for cocaine use and 254,345 admissions for heroin, representing slight declines from the prior year. Treatment for marijuana abuse also fell slightly over the span, the agency said.

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Medical Marijuana Advocates Sue U.S. Government

U.S. advocates for legalizing use of marijuana for medicinal purposes have sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), charging both have issued "false and misleading statements" about the drug's medical benefits.

A non-profit group called Americans for Safe Access, based in Oakland, Calif., challenged the government agencies' contention that marijuana "has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States," The New York Times reported Thursday.

The group's attorney, Joseph Elford, cited a recent study by the Clinical Research Center at San Francisco General Hospital, which found that smoking marijuana relieved pain and eased other symptoms of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. That study was sanctioned by the FDA, Elford told the newspaper.

An HHS spokeswoman refused comment, saying the agency didn't issue statements on pending litigation. But she did say that the government stood by its statement of April 2006, in which it said "there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful."

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European Union Not Ready for Flu Pandemic: Report

The European Union is ill-prepared for the long-feared human flu pandemic that could arise from the current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, the European Center for Disease Control said in a report released Thursday.

The EU is at least two years away from being able to respond effectively to a massive human flu outbreak, according to a Bloomberg news service report of the agency's findings.

The current strain of H5N1 emerged in Asia in 2003. World health officials fear the deadly virus, which has led to the deaths and slaughter of millions of birds and has killed at least 167 people, could mutate into a pandemic form that's easily passed between humans.

"It's a question of 'when', not 'if" a [human] pandemic will occur," ECDC Director Zsuzsanna Jakab said in the report. The analysis urged governments to be better prepared in non-health related sectors such as electric utilities, which must devise plans to deal with significant staff absenteeism, Bloomberg reported.

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Diabetes Drug Linked to Fractures in Females

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert Wednesday on drug maker GlaxoSmithKline warning doctors that long-term use of its diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) has been linked to an increased incidence of fractures in females.

The company outlined the results of a safety review of a large-scale study involving 4,360 patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. The review found that female Avandia users experienced more fractures of the upper arm, hand, or foot than did female patients who received the two other medications in the study, metformin and glyburide. The incidence of fractures in male users was similar in all three drugs.

The company is advising doctors to consider the risk of fractures when prescribing Avandia to female patients.

And, according to MarketWatch, a spokesman for Glaxo said the company was in talks with European Union regulators about sending a similar letter to European doctors.

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U.S. Stillbirths Decline, Racial Disparities Persist: Study

Stillbirths in the United States declined significantly between 1990 and 2003, but the fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was more than double that of non-Hispanic white women, a new report released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) shows.

The study, "Fetal and Perinatal Mortality, United States: 2003," looked at fetal deaths among all racial and ethnic groups occurring at 20 weeks of gestation or more. The fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 11.56 per 1,000, compared to 4.94 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white women. "While we can see that progress has been made in preventing fetal mortality, it is also clear that substantial disparities remain along race and ethnic lines, " said the study's lead author, Marian MacDorman, senior social scientist in the Division of Vital Statistics at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Among other findings in the report:

The number of fetal deaths per 1,000 live births declined an average of 1.4 percent a year from 1990-2003.

The decline since 1990 occurred among pregnancies 28 weeks of gestation and longer, while the fetal death rate for pregnancies 20-27 weeks of gestation has changed little since 1990.

American Indian women had a fetal death rate of 6.09 per 1,000 live births -- 24 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic white women. For Hispanic women, the rate was slightly higher than that for non-Hispanic white women (5.46 per 1,000), and the rate for Asian or Pacific Islander women was similar to that of non-Hispanic white women (4.98 per 1,000).

Thursday, February 22, 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert Wednesday on drug maker GlaxoSmithKline warning doctors that long-term use of its diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) has been linked to an increased incidence of fractures in females.

The company outlined the results of a safety review of a large-scale study involving 4,360 patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. The review found that female Avandia users experienced more fractures of the upper arm, hand, or foot than did female patients who received the two other medications in the study, metformin and glyburide. The incidence of fractures in male users was similar in all three drugs.

The company is advising doctors to consider the risk of fractures when prescribing Avandia to female patients.

And, according to MarketWatch, a spokesman for Glaxo said the company was in talks with European Union regulators about sending a similar letter to European doctors.

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Vaccine Safety Group Reports Adverse Gardasil Reactions

An analysis of reports of serious medical problems following vaccination against cervical cancer with Merck & Co.'s Gardasil found that two-thirds of patients required additional medical care, a vaccine safety group said Tuesday.

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) looked at a report from the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on problems following vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) during the last six months of 2006.

Of 385 adverse events reported, two-thirds required further attention and one-third occurred in children 16 and under. In almost 25 percent of those cases, patients also received one or more of 18 vaccines that Merck did not study, in combination with Gardasil, NVIC said in a prepared statement.

As a result, NVIC called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn parents and physicians that Gardasil should not be combined with other vaccines. They also urged that young girls be monitored for at least 24 hours after vaccination and that any reports of adverse events be made as soon as possible to VAERS.

The report follows on the heels of Merck's decision Tuesday to stop lobbying state governments for laws mandating that pre-teen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Merck had initially been successful in convincing such state leaders as Texas Gov. Rick Perry to order the vaccinations, but many parent and advocacy groups objected, saying it might encourage youngsters to have pre-marital sex and infringed on their freedom of choice.

The FDA approved Gardasil in 2006 to prevent two strains of the sexually-transmitted HPV. Studies have shown that these two strains result in almost 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases.

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U.S. Stillbirths Decline, Racial Disparities Persist: Study

Stillbirths in the United States declined significantly between 1990 and 2003, but the fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was more than double that of non-Hispanic white women, a new report released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) shows.

The study, "Fetal and Perinatal Mortality, United States: 2003," looked at fetal deaths among all racial and ethnic groups occurring at 20 weeks of gestation or more. The fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 11.56 per 1,000, compared to 4.94 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white women. "While we can see that progress has been made in preventing fetal mortality, it is also clear that substantial disparities remain along race and ethnic lines, " said the study's lead author, Marian MacDorman, senior social scientist in the Division of Vital Statistics at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Among other findings in the report:

The number of fetal deaths per 1,000 live births declined an average of 1.4 percent a year from 1990-2003.

The decline since 1990 occurred among pregnancies 28 weeks of gestation and longer, while the fetal death rate for pregnancies 20-27 weeks of gestation has changed little since 1990.

American Indian women had a fetal death rate of 6.09 per 1,000 live births -- 24 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic white women. For Hispanic women, the rate was slightly higher than that for non-Hispanic white women (5.46 per 1,000), and the rate for Asian or Pacific Islander women was similar to that of non-Hispanic white women (4.98 per 1,000).

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Dispose of Prescription Drugs in Kitchen Waste, EPA Urges

Government experts say unsavory waste such as kitty litter and old coffee grounds can keep unwanted prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.

New drug disposal guidelines urge consumers to mix unused, unneeded or expired drugs with undesirable substances and to discard them in nondescript containers to avoid reuse. And, while the time-honored habit of flushing drugs down the toilet can also be used, officials warned that could create environmental problems if proper disposal instructions on the safety label are disregarded.

"Following these new guidelines will protect our nation's waterways and keep pharmaceuticals out of the hands of potential abusers," Environmental Protection Agency administrator Stephen L. Johnson said in a prepared statement Wednesday. Some pharmacies will also collect drugs for safe disposal, the agency added.

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Scientists Close in on Genetic Code for Lou Gehrig's Disease

Johns Hopkins researchers say they've identified 34 unique variations in the human genetic code that predisposes people to the non-inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

The 34 single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, were found among 276 unrelated subjects and appear to be good candidates for further study of the neurodegenerative disease, the scientists said Tuesday in a prepared statement. The team used a new technology, known as "SNP chips" -- a kind of computer chip coated with tiny beads -- to scan the genome.

"Although we haven't located the exact gene responsible for sporadic ALS, our results seriously narrow the search and bring us that much closer to finding what we need to start developing treatments for the disease," Dr. Bryan J. Traynor, of the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said in the statement. One in about 2,000 people are at risk yearly of developing the disease, and 10,000 Americans a year die from ALS.

The findings were published in this month's online edition of the journal Lancet Neurology.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Facing adverse reaction from parents, doctors and advocacy groups, Merck and Co. said Tuesday that it would stop lobbying state governments for laws mandating that pre-teen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Merck, which makes the vaccine Gardasil to protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV), had initially been successful in convincing such state leaders as Texas governor Rick Perry to order the vaccinations.

But Gardasil is expensive, the Journal reports -- $360 for a three-dose regimen -- and HPV, believed to cause most of the cases of cervical cancer in the United States, is spread through sexual contact. Many parent and advocacy groups had objected to the vaccine, because it might have forced them into talking about subjects they weren't ready to discuss with their daughters. And because the vaccine's approval is new, some physicians expressed concern about possible side effects.

The Journal quotes Merck's executive director of medical affairs, Richard Haupt, as saying the company had decided that the adverse reaction was a distraction from the original goal of immunizing as many women as possible. Merck has "decided at this point not to lobby for school laws any further," the newspaper quotes Haupt as saying.

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Supreme Court Snuffs Huge Tobacco Settlement

The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a $79.5 million punitive-damages award to an Oregon widow whose husband had smoked for 45 years, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

In Tuesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, justices speaking for the majority said the earlier ruling could not stand because the Oregon jury hadn't been told that Philip Morris could only be sanctioned for harm done to the plaintiff, not to other smokers and their families, the AP reported.

The decision didn't address Philip Morris's contention that the award had been unconstitutionally excessive, the wire service said.

Punitive damages are awarded with the intent of punishing defendants and deterring others from practicing the same behavior.

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Thousands Near Moscow Tested for Bird Flu

Nearly 5,000 suburban Moscow residents who may have come in contact with avian flu-infected birds are being tested for the disease, authorities said Tuesday.

At least 190 domestic birds in the outskirts of the Russian capital have died since Feb. 10, the Associated Press reported. The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in four areas, and tests were being carried out on newly identified birds to see if they died from the same cause. Many of the dead birds have been traced to a southeast Moscow market.

No human deaths in the area from bird flu have been reported, the wire service said. Moscow is home to more than 10 million people.

Since 2003, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 167 people worldwide, mostly in Asia. Most of the human victims had contact with infected fowl, but the virus remains difficult for people to catch.

World health officials, however, worry that the virus could mutate into a form that's more easily passed between people, sparking a human pandemic.

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Medicare Should Negotiate Drug Prices: Poll

Almost 9 out of 10 adults surveyed believe Medicare should have the authority to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs with pharmaceutical companies, a new AARP poll finds.

The 2003 Medicare prescription drug law expressly forbids Medicare from bargaining over drug prices, although the U.S. Senate is poised to debate legislation rescinding the ban. In a statement issued Tuesday, the AARP said 86 percent of Americans it surveyed believed the Secretary of Health and Human Services should have the legal power to negotiate with the drug companies in an effort to contain soaring prices.

"Americans understand that buying in bulk saves money; this poll shows widespread support for giving Medicare bargaining power over drug prices. Senators preparing to vote on legislation allowing negotiations should take note," the AARP said.

The group's survey found 85 percent of participants felt that drug costs were too high and that the government should leverage the buying power of 43 million Medicare members to help bring prices down.

President Bush has said he would veto any legislation requiring the government to negotiate drug prices, saying it would amount to "government interference" in the private market.

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Doctors Extend Hospital Stay for Tiny Florida Baby

Doctors want a premature baby who was born sooner than any other surviving infant to remain in a Miami hospital for a few more days, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Earlier reports said Amillia Sonja Taylor was to be released after spending nearly four months hospitalized since her birth Oct. 24. A spokesman for Baptist Children's Hospital said she didn't know why doctors had changed their minds.

Taylor spent less time in her mother's womb than any infant on record who had survived, the AP reported. At birth, she weighed less than 10 ounces and was just 9 1/2 inches long.

Taylor was delivered less than 22 weeks after conception, and her doctors say she's the first baby to survive after fewer than 23 weeks gestation. Full-term births are normally 37 to 40 weeks, the wire service said.

Amillia has had a host of problems -- ranging from a mild brain hemorrhage to digestion difficulties -- although none are expected to affect her in the long-term, the AP said.

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U.S. to Beef Up Some Inspections of Poultry, Meat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is implementing the first changes to its meat and poultry plant inspections program in a decade, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Plants with a history of problems will receive greater scrutiny, and conversely, plants that have better records of meat and poultry handling will see fewer inspections for contamination from E. coli, salmonella, and other germs.

The new "risk-based" system will evaluate the type of product produced and the plant's record of food and safety violations, Agriculture Department officials told the AP.

"There are certain food products that carry a higher inherent risk than others," said the department's top food safety official, Richard Raymond. "And there are certain plants that do a better job of controlling risk than others," he added.

For now, the new system is to be implemented in processing plants, not those that actually slaughter the animals, the AP said. An implementation schedule is expected shortly.

Raymond dismissed suggestions that budget cutbacks could be driving changes in the inspection program. "We're not going to be saving any money on this part of risk-based inspections," he said.

The department's 7,500 safety inspectors conducted some 9.2 million inspections at 6,000 plants last year, the AP said.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is implementing the first changes to its meat and poultry plant inspections program in a decade, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Plants with a history of problems will receive greater scrutiny, and conversely, plants that have better records of meat and poultry handling will see fewer inspections for contamination from E. coli, salmonella, and other germs.

The new "risk-based" system will evaluate the type of product produced and the plant's record of food and safety violations, Agriculture Department officials told the AP.

"There are certain food products that carry a higher inherent risk than others," said the department's top food safety official, Richard Raymond. "And there are certain plants that do a better job of controlling risk than others," he added.

For now, the new system is to be implemented in processing plants, not those that actually slaughter the animals, the AP said. An implementation schedule is expected shortly.

Raymond dismissed suggestions that budget cutbacks could be driving changes in the inspection program. "We're not going to be saving any money on this part of risk-based inspections," he said.

The department's 7,500 safety inspectors conducted some 9.2 million inspections at 6,000 plants last year, the AP said.

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Cocoa May Help Retain Brain Power: Researchers

Some types of cocoa products that are high in antioxidants known as flavonols may increase blood flow to the brain and help prevent loss of brain function and some types of dementia, researchers said.

Scientists from England's University of Nottingham announced their findings Sunday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in San Francisco, the Associated Press reported.

In MRI studies, women who drank cocoa that was high in flavonols had a significant increase in blood flow to the brain, compared to women who didn't drink the cocoa, researcher Ian MacDonald and his colleagues told attendees. This could help people with early signs of dementia, which has been linked to a drop in blood flow to the brain, the wire service said.

But experts told the AP that commercially sold cocoa often has much of the flavonols removed, since they impart a bitter taste. They also noted that because many chocolate products are high in fat, people shouldn't rush out to consume large amounts.

"[Chocolate] can never be a health food, because we have a calorie problem," Harvard Medical School's Norman Hollenberg said.

Still, Hollenberg noted that manufacturers could strive to create cocoa products in which much of the fat is removed, but the flavonols are preserved. "I see a bright future for cocoa," he said.

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Chronic Back Pain Linked to Changes in Brain Process

Chronic pack pain has been linked to changes in the way the brain processes pain, according to BBC News.

The research, done by scientists from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, found a connection between those whose back pain is continuous and microstructural changes in the way the brain translated pain, the news service reports. The research was presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting, in Chicago.

But the primary issue hasn't yet been resolved: Is the change in the brain -- a more complex and active microstructure -- caused by the back pain, or is the back pain caused by the change in the brain?

According to the BBC News report, that question is key in determining how a chronic back patient will be treated.

Co-author Gustav Schelling is quoted as saying "It's difficult to know whether these are pre-existing changes in the brain that predispose an individual to developing chronic pain, whether ongoing pain creates the hyperactivity that actually changes the brain organization, or if it is some mixture of both.

"DTI [diffusion tensor imaging -- the method used to find the brain changes] may help explain what's happening for some of these patients, and direct therapeutic attention from the spine to the brain."

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Hearing Loss a Big Problem Facing the Next Generation

The Baby Boomer generation and its progeny are facing a malady probably caused by their times and lifestyles -- hearing loss -- according to estimates given at a science convention over the weekend.

The Associated Press reports that members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science were told by audiologists and other scientists that by the year 2050, as many as 50 million Americans could be suffering from some degree of hearing loss.

Steven Greenberg of Silicon Speech in Santa Venetia, Calif., is quoted by the wire service as saying that research already shows young people with an impaired hearing rate 2 1/2 times that of their parents and grandparents.

The reason? Loud music and a noisy environment are two main factors, the AP quotes Stanford University scientist Stefan Heller as saying. Laboratory stem cell research has had some success, Heller said, but there hasn't been an absolute breakthrough. Restoration of damaged hearing cells is very much at the beginning and "it's still a long, long road," he is quoted as saying.

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18,000 Kids Die of Hunger Daily, U.N. Exec Says

Hunger and malnutrition kill 18,000 children daily around the world and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, according to the leader of the U.N. food agency.

James Morris, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program, said that while the percentage of people who are hungry and malnourished has decreased from a fifth of the world's population to a sixth of the population, the actual number of hungry people is growing by about 5 million people a year because of the rising population.

"Today, 850 million people are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris told the Associated Press. "This is a shameful fact -- a terrible indictment of the world in 2007, and it's an issue that needs to be solved."

Morris said the largest number of malnourished children are in India -- more than 100 million -- followed by almost 40 million in China. Elsewhere, there are probably 100 million hungry children in the rest of Asia, another 100 million in Africa where countries have fewer resources to help, and 30 million in Latin America, he added.

Morris, an American businessman who is leaving the agency in April, called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger -- especially among children.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Chronic pack pain has been linked to changes in the way the brain processes pain, according to BBC News.

The research, done by scientists from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, found a connection between those whose back pain is continuous and microstructural changes in the way the brain translated pain, the news service reports. The research was presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting, in Chicago.

But the primary issue hasn't yet been resolved: Is the change in the brain -- a more complex and active microstructure -- caused by the back pain, or is the back pain caused by the change in the brain?

According to the BBC News report, that question is key in determining how a chronic back patient will be treated.

Co-author Gustav Schelling is quoted as saying "It's difficult to know whether these are pre-existing changes in the brain that predispose an individual to developing chronic pain, whether ongoing pain creates the hyperactivity that actually changes the brain organization, or if it is some mixture of both.

"DTI [diffusion tensor imaging -- the method used to find the brain changes] may help explain what's happening for some of these patients, and direct therapeutic attention from the spine to the brain."

-----

Hearing Loss a Big Problem Facing the Next Generation

The Baby Boomer generation and its progeny are facing a malady probably caused by their times and lifestyles -- hearing loss -- according to estimates given at a science convention over the weekend.

The Associated Press reports that members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science were told by audiologists and other scientists that by the year 2050, as many as 50 million Americans could be suffering from some degree of hearing loss.

Steven Greenberg of Silicon Speech in Santa Venetia, Calif., is quoted by the wire service as saying that research already shows young people with an impaired hearing rate 2 1/2 times that of their parents and grandparents.

The reason? Loud music and a noisy environment are two main factors, the A.P. quotes Stanford University scientist Stefan Heller as saying. Laboratory stem cell research has had some success, Heller said, but there hasn't been an absolute breakthrough. Restoration of damaged hearing cells is very much at the beginning and "it's still a long, long road," he is quoted as saying.

-----

18,000 Kids Die of Hunger Daily, U.N. Exec Says

Hunger and malnutrition kill 18,000 children daily around the world and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, according to the leader of the U.N. food agency.

James Morris, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program, said that while the percentage of people who are hungry and malnourished has decreased from a fifth of the world's population to a sixth of the population, the actual number of hungry people is growing by about 5 million people a year because of the rising population.

"Today, 850 million people are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris told the Associated Press. "This is a shameful fact -- a terrible indictment of the world in 2007, and it's an issue that needs to be solved."

Morris said the largest number of malnourished children are in India -- more than 100 million -- followed by almost 40 million in China. Elsewhere, there are probably 100 million hungry children in the rest of Asia, another 100 million in Africa where countries have fewer resources to help, and 30 million in Latin America, he added.

Morris, an American businessman who is leaving the agency in April, called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger -- especially among children.

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Moscow Records Positive Bird Flu Samples

Poultry found dead in two suburban Moscow suburbs have tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu strain, an agriculture official announced Saturday.

In the first such outbreak to be recorded so close to the Russian capital, Alexei Alexeyenko, a spokesman for the federal agricultural oversight agency, said that laboratory results showed the strain of the virus in the Odintsovo and Domodedovo districts, west and south of Moscow respectively, where two dozen birds died this week.

According to an Associated Press report, Russian officials were still awaiting results on tests taken in a third suburban district, Podolsk, where 44 birds were reported to have died on Saturday.

Russia had its first reported cases of the H5N1 strain in Siberia in 2005, and outbreaks have since occurred farther west, but mostly in southern areas distant from the capital. There have been no human transmissions so far.

Earlier this week, however, Egypt reported that another person has died from H5N1 bird flu, the 13th death in that country.

The latest victim was a 37-year-old woman from Fayyum province, south of Cairo, who was admitted to a hospital Monday complaining of a high fever and bronchitis, Agence France Presse reported. The woman was treated with Tamiflu before she died.

Before this case, the last person to die in Egypt from bird flu was a teenage girl who was also from Fayyum.

Egyptian health ministry officials also reported that a 5-year-old child from the Sharqiya governorate north of Cairo had been diagnosed with bird flu. That's the 22nd case of bird flu in humans in Egypt, the hardest-hit country outside of Asia, AFP reported.

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Bogus Internet Drugs Contained Powerful Antipsychotic: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reiterating warnings about buying drugs over the Internet after the agency learned that a number of Americans who ordered certain drugs online (Ambien, Ativan, Lexapro, and Xanax) instead received products that initial tests indicate contain a powerful antipsychotic drug called haloperidol.

Haloperidol can cause agitation, sedation and muscle spasms and stiffness. There have been several reports of people in the United States who've sought emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as breathing problems, muscle spasms and stiffness after using the suspect medications they bought over the Internet, the FDA said.

The origin of these potentially dangerous drugs is unknown, but the packages were postmarked in Greece. The consumers in these cases identified a number of Web sites where the drugs were purchased and the FDA said it has launched an investigation.

However, due to the deceptive practices used by these outfits, it may be difficult to identify the vendors of the bogus drugs, the agency said.

Consumers should review information on the FDA Web site before they buy any drugs over the Internet, the agency said.

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Roche Seeks Approval of Child-Sized Tamiflu Capsules

Drug maker Roche Holding AG is seeking European and U.S. approval for smaller child-sized capsules of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, considered a front-line defense against a bird flu-triggered pandemic.

The Swiss drug company has filed an application with the European Medicines Agency for approval of two smaller capsules (30 mg and 45 mg) and said it will soon seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Associated Press reported.

Currently approved Tamiflu capsules are 75 mg. There is a liquid Tamiflu available for children, but Roche said the smaller capsules will be easier to use and have a longer shelf life than the liquid.

The lower-dose capsules were designed primarily for children, but Roche said they will also be useful in the elderly and other adults who have trouble swallowing the 75 mg capsule, the AP reported.

Experts believe that if patients infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus are given Tamiflu within two days of the onset of symptoms, they have a much better chance of survival. Many countries are stockpiling Tamiflu in preparation for a possible pandemic.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Hunger and malnutrition kill 18,000 children daily around the world and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, according to the leader of the U.N. food agency.

James Morris, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program, said that while the percentage of people who are hungry and malnourished has decreased from a fifth of the world's population to a sixth of the population, the actual number of hungry people is growing by about 5 million people a year because of the rising population.

"Today, 850 million people are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris told the Associated Press. "This is a shameful fact -- a terrible indictment of the world in 2007, and it's an issue that needs to be solved."

Morris said the largest number of malnourished children are in India -- more than 100 million -- followed by almost 40 million in China. Elsewhere, there are probably 100 million hungry children in the rest of Asia, another 100 million in Africa where countries have fewer resources to help, and 30 million in Latin America, he added.

Morris, an American businessman who is leaving the agency in April, called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger -- especially among children.

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Moscow Records Positive Bird Flu Samples

Poultry found dead in two suburban Moscow suburbs have tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu strain, an agriculture official announced Saturday.

In the first such outbreak to be recorded so close to the Russian capital, Alexei Alexeyenko, a spokesman for the federal agricultural oversight agency, said that laboratory results showed the strain of the virus in the Odintsovo and Domodedovo districts, west and south of Moscow respectively, where two dozen birds died this week.

According to an Associated Press report, Russian officials were still awaiting results on tests taken in a third suburban district, Podolsk, where 44 birds were reported to have died on Saturday.

Russia had its first reported cases of the H5N1 strain in Siberia in 2005, and outbreaks have since occurred farther west, but mostly in southern areas distant from the capital. There have been no human transmissions so far.

Earlier this week, however, Egypt reported that another person has died from H5N1 bird flu, the 13th death in that country.

The latest victim was a 37-year-old woman from Fayyum province, south of Cairo, who was admitted to a hospital Monday complaining of a high fever and bronchitis, Agence France Presse reported. The woman was treated with Tamiflu before she died.

Before this case, the last person to die in Egypt from bird flu was a teenage girl who was also from Fayyum.

Egyptian health ministry officials also reported that a 5-year-old child from the Sharqiya governorate north of Cairo had been diagnosed with bird flu. That's the 22nd case of bird flu in humans in Egypt, the hardest-hit country outside of Asia, AFP reported.

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Bogus Internet Drugs Contained Powerful Antipsychotic: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reiterating warnings about buying drugs over the Internet after the agency learned that a number of Americans who ordered certain drugs online (Ambien, Ativan, Lexapro, and Xanax) instead received products that initial tests indicate contain a powerful antipsychotic drug called haloperidol.

Haloperidol can cause agitation, sedation and muscle spasms and stiffness. There have been several reports of people in the United States who've sought emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as breathing problems, muscle spasms and stiffness after using the suspect medications they bought over the Internet, the FDA said.

The origin of these potentially dangerous drugs is unknown, but the packages were postmarked in Greece. The consumers in these cases identified a number of Web sites where the drugs were purchased and the FDA said it has launched an investigation.

However, due to the deceptive practices used by these outfits, it may be difficult to identify the vendors of the bogus drugs, the agency said.

Consumers should review information on the FDA Web site before they buy any drugs over the Internet, the agency said.

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Roche Seeks Approval of Child-Sized Tamiflu Capsules

Drug maker Roche Holding AG is seeking European and U.S. approval for smaller child-sized capsules of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, considered a front-line defense against a bird flu-triggered pandemic.

The Swiss drug company has filed an application with the European Medicines Agency for approval of two smaller capsules (30 mg and 45 mg) and said it will soon seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Associated Press reported.

Currently approved Tamiflu capsules are 75 mg. There is a liquid Tamiflu available for children, but Roche said the smaller capsules will be easier to use and have a longer shelf life than the liquid.

The lower-dose capsules were designed primarily for children, but Roche said they will also be useful in the elderly and other adults who have trouble swallowing the 75 mg capsule, the AP reported.

Experts believe that if patients infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus are given Tamiflu within two days of the onset of symptoms, they have a much better chance of survival. Many countries are stockpiling Tamiflu in preparation for a possible pandemic.

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FDA Approves Laser Treatment for Hair Loss

A handheld laser device designed to treat hair loss has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Florida company that makes the Hairmax Lasercomb said 26-week trials found that the device does increase the numbers of thick hairs on the scalp, the Associated Press reported.

Lexington International LLC said its device combines a low-level laser with a comb. When it's drawn through the hair, the laser affects the scalp in way that promotes hair growth.

According to the company, the Hairmax Lasercomb is the only FDA-approved drug-free product for home use in fighting hair loss. The device sells for $54 on the Web, the AP reported.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reiterating warnings about buying drugs over the Internet after the agency learned that a number of Americans who ordered certain drugs online (Ambien, Ativan, Lexapro, and Xanax) instead received products that initial tests indicate contain a powerful antipsychotic drug called haloperidol.

Haloperidol can cause agitation, sedation and muscle spasms and stiffness. There have been several reports of people in the United States who've sought emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as breathing problems, muscle spasms and stiffness after using the suspect medications they bought over the Internet, the FDA said.

The origin of these potentially dangerous drugs is unknown, but the packages were postmarked in Greece. The consumers in these cases identified a number of Web sites where the drugs were purchased and the FDA said it has launched an investigation.

However, due to the deceptive practices used by these outfits, it may be difficult to identify the vendors of the bogus drugs, the agency said.

Consumers should review information on the FDA Web site before they buy any drugs over the Internet, the agency said.

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Roche Seeks Approval of Child-Sized Tamiflu Capsules

Drug maker Roche Holding AG is seeking European and U.S. approval for smaller child-sized capsules of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, considered a front-line defense against a bird flu-triggered pandemic.

The Swiss drug company has filed an application with the European Medicines Agency for approval of two smaller capsules (30 mg and 45 mg) and said it will soon seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Associated Press reported.

Currently approved Tamiflu capsules are 75 mg. There is a liquid Tamiflu available for children, but Roche said the smaller capsules will be easier to use and have a longer shelf life than the liquid.

The lower-dose capsules were designed primarily for children, but Roche said they will also be useful in the elderly and other adults who have trouble swallowing the 75 mg capsule, the AP reported.

Experts believe that if patients infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus are given Tamiflu within two days of the onset of symptoms, they have a much better chance of survival. Many countries are stockpiling Tamiflu in preparation for a possible pandemic.

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FDA Approves Laser Treatment for Hair Loss

A handheld laser device designed to treat hair loss has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Florida company that makes the Hairmax Lasercomb said 26-week trials found that the device does increase the numbers of thick hairs on the scalp, the Associated Press reported.

Lexington International LLC said its device combines a low-level laser with a comb. When it's drawn through the hair, the laser affects the scalp in way that promotes hair growth.

According to the company, the Hairmax Lasercomb is the only FDA-approved drug-free product for home use in fighting hair loss. The device sells for $54 on the Web, the AP reported.

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New Human Bird-Flu Cases in Egypt and Turkey

Egypt has reported that another person has died from H5N1 bird flu, the 13th death in that country.

The latest victim was a 37-year-old woman from Fayyum province, south of Cairo, who was admitted to a hospital Monday complaining of a high fever and bronchitis, Agence France Presse reported. The woman was treated with Tamiflu before she died.

Before this case, the last person to die in Egypt from bird flu was a teenage girl who was also from Fayyum.

Egyptian health ministry officials also reported that a 5-year-old child from the Sharqiya governorate north of Cairo had been diagnosed with bird flu. That's the 22nd case of bird flu in humans in Egypt, the hardest-hit country outside of Asia, AFP reported.

In related news, the second person this week with suspected bird flu has been hospitalized in Turkey, and bird flu has hit poultry in four new areas of the country. This latest case involves a man who became sick after contact with wild ducks.

On Wednesday, a woman with suspected bird flu was hospitalized. The woman is from the southeast province of Diyarbakir, where the H5N1 virus reappeared last week in poultry, AFP reported.

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Many Workers Hide Depression From Employers: Survey

Many American and Canadian workers feel they must hide their depression because they fear their careers would suffer if employers found out about their illness, suggests a poll released Thursday at an international seminar on mental health in Washington, D.C.

The Ipsos-Reid survey of 1,000 adult Americans and 1,000 adult Canadians found that about 80 percent of workers diagnosed with depression said they believed their careers would be damaged if their bosses knew about it, CBC News reported.

The survey also found that 15 percent of American workers and 11 percent of Canadian workers said they'd been diagnosed with depression, and about 22 percent in Canada and 21 percent in the U.S. said they believe they have depression but haven't been properly diagnosed with the condition.

About 84 percent of the respondents said companies should make helping workers with depression a priority, CBC News reported.

In Canada and the U.S., mental illness is estimated to cost businesses more than $300 billion a year in lost productivity and disability.

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Many Black Breast Cancer Survivors Underestimate Recurrence Risk

Many black breast cancer survivors at increased risk for hereditary breast cancer don't believe that they have a heightened risk of recurrence, says a University of Pennsylvania study in the February issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Researchers interviewed 95 black women with a personal and family history of breast cancer and found that 53 percent of them believed they had the same or lower risk of developing breast cancer again compared to other women, while 47 percent said they felt they had a higher or much higher risk.

Women with higher levels of education were more likely to believe that they had a higher risk of breast cancer recurrence, the study found.

"Having a personal and family history of breast cancer are known risk factors for breast cancer, and it is surprising and worrisome that most of these women with such a history don't recognize that risk," study lead author Dr. Chanita Hughes Halbert, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Community and Minority Cancer Control Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center, said in a prepared statement.

The findings suggest that it's important to ensure that black women understand their risk of developing cancer. Genetic counseling that addresses cultural beliefs and values may be one way to achieve that, the researchers said.